Former and Current World Number One Meets! Lin Dan Lost to Kento Momota in the First Round

“YONEX-SUNRISE Hong Kong Open 2018” put on a fierce match tonight (14th Nov) between the former No.1 Lin Dan and the top seed, world champion Kento Momota. 35-year-old Lin lost to Japan’s first world champion Momota after came back in the second game.

Momota who beat Lin just 2 months ago, rose from no ranking to world number one after his suspension was ended in May last year. He has also won 7 titles this year included the World Championships and Asian Championships. The first Japanese world champion was eager to enjoy the taste of victory over Lin again.

Lin Dan, the 5-time world champion with current world ranking 13th, was always the Hong Kong fans’ favorite. Fans cheered for him throughout the whole match. However, he was not benefited by the home court advantage and suffered from Momota’s smashes and drop shot, losing the first game by 19:21.

Kento Momota finished Fuzhou Open 2 days ago did not take enough rest before Hong Kong Open and seemed losing his strength in the second game. Lin took the control of the game and scored 6 points in a row and came back 21:12 in the second game.

In the last game, the two left handed players battled in a close game from 6:6 to 14:14. Lin was leading most of the time. However, he did not take his chance and was knocked out once again in the first round after Fuzhou Open by 15:21.

Lin was disappointed about the result. He said, ‘I think my opponent was under more pressure than me. However, I didn’t take my chance after winning the second game and in the last game I made a few mistake. It’s a pity! We met 3 times this year, I think my performance improved each time. His pace was not as fast as we met at the first time. He might not be in his best form.’ In a brief calculation, Lin said he will play more next year to secure his spot in the World Tour Finals. The physical fitness demands will be a big test for him but he will work hard to keep playing.

In Women’s Singles, the feature match was between the two former world No.1 players Saina Nehwal of India and Akane Yamaguchi of Japan who has just defeated Tai Tzu Ying in French Open last month. Saina took 7 points in a row and snatched the first game by 21: 10. However, the second seed Yamaguchi outgunned her (21:10, 21:19). China’s world Champion He Bing Jian overcame her fellow Li Xue Rui, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist by 11:21, 21:8, 21:12.